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Background • Acupuncture therapy has demonstrated significant efficacy in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia, effectively alleviating pain intensity and enhancing patients' quality of life. However, the effectiveness of collateral-pricking and bloodletting cupping combined with electroacupuncture in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia remains a subject of controversy. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of collateral-pricking and bloodletting cupping combined with electroacupuncture for postherpetic neuralgia. Methods • We identified relevant randomized controlled trials by conducting a comprehensive search in multiple databases: China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Biomedical Literature, Wanfang Data, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, and Web of Science. The outcome included efficacy rate, visual analog scale (VAS)scores and pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) scores. We meticulously assessed the risk of bias in the included trials and performed a meta-analysis. Results • We analyzed 9 randomized controlled trials involving 639 patients. Collateral-pricking and bloodletting cupping combined with electroacupuncture achieved a significantly higher efficacy rate (risk ratio, 1.22 [95% CI, 1.13-1.31]; P < .001), reduced theVAS scores (standardized mean difference, -1.52 [95% CI, -2.26 to -0.79]; P < .001), and improved the PSQI scores (standardized mean difference, -2.31 [95% CI, -3.97 to -0.64]; P = .007) compared with the control groups. The subgroup analysis revealed that the combined treatment of collateral-pricking and bloodletting cupping and electroacupuncture had a significantly higher total effective rate compared with the carbamazepine, electroacupuncture, and pregabalin groups (P < .05). The total efficacy rate of the collateral-pricking and bloodletting cupping combined with electroacupuncture group was superior to that of the control group, irrespective of whether 2 or 3 courses were administered (P < .05). Conclusion • Existing evidence suggests that the combination of collateral-pricking and bloodletting cupping and electroacupuncture demonstrates efficacy in pain relief, improvement of sleep quality, and enhanced therapeutic outcomes for patients with postherpetic neuralgia. However, further validation through large-scale multicenter randomized controlled trials is warranted due to the limited quantity and quality of the included literature in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is a common complication, occurring in approximately one-third of these patients. The neurological symptoms of PSD affect patients' daily life and subsequent recovery. Analyzing the pathogenesis of post-stroke depression from a psychological perspective, it was found that PSD patients often feel despair and anxiety, and it is crucial to explore nonpharmacological ways to improve post-stroke depressive symptoms. A combination of exercise and rich environmental stimulation (RES) has been found effective in improving post-stroke depressive symptoms. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the effects of exercise and rich environmental stimulation on PSD in rats and their potential underlying mechanisms and to provide a theoretical basis for managing PSD. Methods: The PSD rat model was constructed, and the depression-like behaviors of rats in each group were evaluated using the open field test (OFT), sucrose preference test (SPT), and forced swimming test (FST). Moreover, changes in the morphological behavior of rat hippocampus were observed using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Nissl staining. The expression levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and norepinephrine (NE) in hippocampus tissues were assessed using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the levels of tryptophan-related proteins were determined employing western blot analysis. Additionally, a kynurenine-3-monooxygenase (KMO) inhibitor was administered to the combined stimulation group, and the levels of tryptophan (TRP), 5-HT, kynurenine (KYN), 3-hydroxy-kynurenine (3-HK), and quinolinic acid (QA) were evaluated using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Results: Treadmill exercise combined with rich environmental stimulation significantly reduced the immobility time in the FST (p < 0.01), increased the exploratory behavior in the OFT (p < 0.05), and increased the sucrose water consumption in the SPT (p < 0.01), indicating that the depression-like behavior was improved. Treadmill exercise combined with rich environmental stimulation also improved the shape of the damaged hippocampus and increased the number of neurons in the hippocampus. Additionally, treadmill exercise combined with rich environmental stimulation significantly increased the levels of 5-HT and NE in hippocampus tissues (p < 0.01) and decreased KMO protein level (p < 0.01). In the KMO inhibitor group, the neural function was efficiently restored, the levels of 3-HK, QA, and KMO in the hippocampus were substantially reduced (p < 0.01), and the expression level of 5-HT was increased (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Exercise stimulation combined with enriched environmental stimuli alleviates post-stroke depression in rats, and the underlying mechanisms may be related to TRP/KYN/3-HK/QA excitotoxicity pathways and increased 5-hydroxytryptamine levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During whole genomic duplication (WGD) events, micro RNAs (miRNAs) are involved in stabilization of chromatin and genome and epigenetic regulation of gene expression. In this study, a newly induced triploid group of hybrids between sect. Tacamahaca and sect. Aigeiros in Populus, was characterized for genome-wide miRNA expression after WGD. Seven miRNA libraries (male parent, female parent, group of triploid offspring’s, group of diploid offspring, and three triploid individuals) were constructed and variation of miRNA expression from diploid parents to triploid offspring’s as well as distinction between triploid and diploid offspring were analyzed. The results showed that a total of 240 miRNAs were predicted including 187 known miRNAs and 53 novel miRNAs. 81.25% of miRNAs in triploid offspring were non-additively expressed in which 52.31% were down-regulated. A novel miRNA with 24nt in length choosing adenine as its first base was found in triploid offspring group suggesting its potential role in regulation of DNA methylation after WGD. A total of 18 novel miRNAs were specifically expressed in the library of triploid group. Targeted genes of different expressed miRNAs in three comparison sets (triploid offspring group vs female parent, male parent, and diploid offspring group) were all enriched in ADP binding (GO: 0043531; FDR < 0.05). KEGG enrichment pathway of all three comparison sets was plant-pathogen interaction. This study revealed an essential role of miRNAs involving in epigenetic regulation after WGD in poplar and provided a good model for further studies of polyploidization advantages in woody plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The short-circuit photocurrent (ISC) that can be reversed by polarization switch enhances with temperature increasing to 130 °C in the epitaxial BiFeO3 thin film on SrTiO3 substrate. The La2/3Sr1/3MnO3/BiFeO3/indium tin oxide (In2O3:SnO2 = 9:1) junction shows the current rectifying characteristic and the photovoltaic effect at 20-130 °C. Importantly, the ISC can be reversed by the polarization switch in this temperature range. More charge carriers are activated and the density of free electrons enhances with the increase in the temperature, which results in the decrease in the depletion layer width. As a result, the open-circuit voltage decreases 50% and the ISC increases from 180 nA to 404 nA with the increase in the temperature from 20 °C to 130 °C. This suggests that the corresponding sensors and devices can be used at a relatively high temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The short-circuit photocurrent (ISC) that can be reversed by polarization switch enhances with temperature increasing to 130 °C in the epitaxial BiFeO3 thin film on SrTiO3 substrate. The La2/3Sr1/3MnO3/BiFeO3/indium tin oxide (In2O3:SnO2 = 9:1) junction shows the current rectifying characteristic and the photovoltaic effect at 20-130 °C. Importantly, the ISC can be reversed by the polarization switch in this temperature range. More charge carriers are activated and the density of free electrons enhances with the increase in the temperature, which results in the decrease in the depletion layer width. As a result, the open-circuit voltage decreases 50% and the ISC increases from 180 nA to 404 nA with the increase in the temperature from 20 °C to 130 °C. This suggests that the corresponding sensors and devices can be used at a relatively high temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shrub biomass equations provide an accurate, efficient and convenient method in estimating biomass of shrubland ecosystems and biomass of the shrub layer in forest ecosystems at various spatial and temporal scales. In recent decades, many shrub biomass equations have been reported mainly in journals, books and postgraduate's dissertations. However, these biomass equations are applicable for limited shrub species with respect to a large number of shrub species widely distributed in China, which severely restricted the study of terrestrial ecosystem structure and function, such as biomass, production, and carbon budge. Therefore, we firstly carried out a critical review of published literature (from 1982 to 2019) on shrub biomass equations in China, and then developed biomass equations for the dominant shrub species using a unified method based on field measurements of 738 sites in shrubland ecosystems across China. Finally, we constructed the first comprehensive biomass equation dataset for China's common shrub species. This dataset consists of 822 biomass equations specific to 167 shrub species and has significant representativeness to the geographical, climatic and shrubland vegetation features across China. The dataset is freely available at https://doi.org/10.11922/sciencedb.00641 (Wang et al., 2021) for non-commercial scientific applications, and this dataset fills a significant gap in woody biomass equations and provides key parameters for biomass estimation in studies on terrestrial ecosystem structure and function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phoebe bournei, a plant species endemic to China, is a precious timber tree and widely used in landscaping. This tree contains numerous secondary metabolites, underscoring its potential economic value. However, studies on this species, including molecular genetic research, remain limited. In this study, both a somatic embryogenesis (SE) technical system and Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation were successfully employed in P. bournei for the first time. The SE technical system was constructed using immature embryos as original material. The primary embryo and embryonic callus induction rates were 30.66% and 41.67%, respectively. The highest rate of embryonic callus proliferation was 3.84. The maximum maturity coefficient and germination rate were 53.44/g and 39%, respectively. Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation was performed using the SE technical system, and the highest transformation rate was 11.24%. The results presented here are the first to demonstrate an efficient approach to achieve numerous P. bournei plantlets, which serves as the basis for artificial cultivation and resource conservation. Furthermore, the genetic transformation platform constructed in this study will facilitate assessment of gene function and molecular regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) content regulate productivity and carbon (C) sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems. Estimates of the allocation of N and P content in plant tissues and the relationship between nutrient content and photosynthetic capacity are critical to predicting future ecosystem C sequestration under global change. In this study, by investigating the nutrient concentrations of plant leaves, stems, and roots across China's terrestrial biomes, we document large-scale patterns of community-level concentrations of C, N, and P. We also examine the possible correlation between nutrient content and plant production as indicated by vegetation gross primary productivity (GPP). The nationally averaged community concentrations of C, N, and P were 436.8, 14.14, and 1.11 mg⋅g-1 for leaves; 448.3, 3.04 and 0.31 mg⋅g-1 for stems; and 418.2, 4.85, and 0.47 mg⋅g-1 for roots, respectively. The nationally averaged leaf N and P productivity was 249.5 g C GPP⋅g-1 N⋅y-1 and 3,157.9 g C GPP⋅g-1 P⋅y-1, respectively. The N and P concentrations in stems and roots were generally more sensitive to the abiotic environment than those in leaves. There were strong power-law relationships between N (or P) content in different tissues for all biomes, which were closely coupled with vegetation GPP. These findings not only provide key parameters to develop empirical models to scale the responses of plants to global change from a single tissue to the whole community but also offer large-scale evidence of biome-dependent regulation of C sequestration by nutrients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reproducible and reliable resistive switching is observed in the ultrathin Bi2FeCrO6 (BFCO) epitaxial film on (001) SrTiO3 substrate with SrRuO3 as the bottom electrode. The as-grown BFCO film allows its ferroelectric polarization switching under external electric field. With a 100-nmradius tip contacting film surface, a stable bipolar resistive switching was observed through the conductive atomic force microscope. Furthermore, the resistive switching at negative bias was observed and its high/low current ratio is above 15 among a thousand of current versus voltage curves measured by the scanning tunneling microscope with a non-contacting nm-scale tip. It is argued that this transport mechanism is due to quantum tunneling, and the resistive switching in these junctions is because of ferroelectric switching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exosomes are nanoscale extracellular membrane vesicles that are created by the fusion of an intracellular multivesicular body with the cell membrane. They are widely distributed in serum, urine, saliva and other biological fluids. As important transfer vectors for intercellular communication and genetic material, exosomes can stimulate target cells directly via receptor-mediated interactions or via the transfer of various bioactive molecules, such as cell membrane receptors, proteins, mRNAs and microRNAs, thus exerting their biological functions. This review focuses on the biological characteristics of exosomes, as well as their role and underlying mechanisms of action in the evolution of tumor formation, metastasis, drug resistance and other malignant behaviors. Additionally, this review emphasizes the potential applications of exosomes in the treatment of tumors. Further research may provide new ideas and methods to establish effective, exosome-based strategies for the early diagnosis and treatment of tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the global decline in the incidence and mortality of gastric cancer, it remains one of the most common malignant tumors of the digestive system. Although surgical resection is the preferred treatment for gastric cancer, chemotherapy is the preferred treatment for recurrent and advanced gastric cancer patients who are not candidates for reoperation. The short overall survival and lack of a standard chemotherapy regimen make it important to identify novel treatment modalities for gastric cancer. Within the field of tumor biology, molecular targeted therapy has attracted substantial attention to improve the specificity of anti-cancer efficacy and significantly reduce non-selective resistance and toxicity. Multiple clinical studies have confirmed that molecular targeted therapy acts on various mechanisms of gastric cancer, such as the regulation of epidermal growth factor, angiogenesis, immuno-checkpoint blockade, the cell cycle, cell apoptosis, key enzymes, c-Met, mTOR signaling and insulin-like growth factor receptors, to exert a stronger anti-tumor effect. An in-depth understanding of the mechanisms that underlie molecular targeted therapies will provide new insights into gastric cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new salts, [H3N(CH2)2NH3][can]·2H2O (1), [H3N(CH2)3NH3][can]·2H2O (2), and [NH4][Hcan] (3),of the minimally soluble antihypertensive drug, Candesartan (H2can), have been prepared by solvent-assisted grinding. Salts 1–3also have been thoroughly characterized by single-crystalX-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infraredspectroscopy, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance, thermogravimetry,and differential scanning calorimetry. In the case of 1and 2, two protons of carboxyl and tetrazole groupsof Candesartan transfer to the diamine, resulting in salts where bothhydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions that link the Candesartanand diamine (diammonium) units into a one-dimensional supramolecularribbon. However, unlike the case in 1and 2, only one proton from the carboxyl group of Candesartan transfersto ammonia in 3and ionic components now assemble intoa three-dimensional supramolecular network. Dissolution studies indicatethat both the apparent solubility and dissolution rate of salts 2and 3in phosphate buffer are dramaticallyimproved compared to those of the original active pharmaceutical ingredient(API). Furthermore, to evaluate the absorption effect of salts 1–3in vivo, pharmacokinetic studieswere performed in rats. It is notable that the oral bioavailabilityof salts 1–3is enhanced by 1.3, 2.5, and 3.1times, respectively, compared to that of the API. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influence of hydrophobic chain lengths of surfactant, co-surfactant, oil and different surfactant to co-surfactant ratios on phase behavior of Tween/alcohol/alkane/H2O was investigated with pseudo-ternary phase diagrams. The total areas of the microemulsion (ME) regions were determined. The largest ME region was formed when the ratio of surfactant: co-surfactant was 2 : 1 (w/w). The capacity for formation of MEs increased with an increase of hydrophobic chain length of the Tween, which was opposite to the trend for alkane (oil). N-butanol formed the largest ME region among the alcohols tested as co-surfactants. Sub-ME phases were identified by conductivity measurements. O/W MEs were observed when the water content was higher than 62 - 68%. The O/W sub-phase regions had significantly lower particle sizes and viscosities than either the W/O or bi-continuous sub-phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prognostic roles of three lymph node classifications, number of positive lymph nodes (NPLN), log odds of positive lymph nodes (LODDS), and lymph node ratio (LNR) in lung adenocarcinoma are unclear. We aim to find the classification with the strongest predictive power and combine it with the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8th TNM stage to establish an optimal prognostic nomogram.Methods: 25,005 patients with T1-4N0-2M0 lung adenocarcinoma after surgery between 2004 to 2016 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database were included. The study cohort was divided into training cohort (13,551 patients) and external validation cohort (11,454 patients) according to different geographic region. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed on the training cohort to evaluate the predictive performance of NPLN (Model 1), LODDS (Model 2), LNR (Model 3) or LODDS+LNR (Model 4) respectively for cancer-specific survival and overall survival. Likelihood-ratio χ2 test, Akaike Information Criterion, Harrell concordance index, integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) and net reclassification improvement (NRI) were used to evaluate the predictive performance of the models. Nomograms were established according to the optimal models. They're put into internal validation using bootstrapping technique and external validation using calibration curves. Nomograms were compared with AJCC 8th TNM stage using decision curve analysis.Results: NPLN, LODDS and LNR were independent prognostic factors for cancer-specific survival and overall survival. LODDS+LNR (Model 4) demonstrated the highest Likelihood-ratio χ2 test, highest Harrell concordance index, and lowest Akaike Information Criterion, and IDI and NRI values suggested Model 4 had better prediction accuracy than other models. Internal and external validations showed that the nomograms combining TNM stage with LODDS+LNR were convincingly precise. Decision curve analysis suggested the nomograms performed better than AJCC 8th TNM stage in clinical practicability.Conclusions: We constructed online nomograms for cancer-specific survival and overall survival of lung adenocarcinoma patients after surgery, which may facilitate doctors to provide highly individualized therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a main risk factor for gastric cancer (GC). Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is involved in the development and progression of H. pylori-associated GC. However, the exact molecular mechanism of this process remains unclear. The AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway has been demonstrated to promote EMT in several types of cancer. The present study investigated whether H. pylori infection induced EMT, and promoted the development and metastasis of cancer in the normal gastric mucosa, and whether this process was dependent on AKT activation. The expression levels of the EMT-associated proteins, including E-cadherin and N-cadherin, were determined in 165 gastric mucosal samples of different disease stages by immunohistochemical analysis. The expression levels of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, AKT, phosphorylated (p-) AKT (Ser473), GSK3β and p-GSK3β (Ser9) were further determined in H. pylori-infected Mongolian gerbil gastric tissues and cells co-cultured with H. pylori by immunohistochemical analysis and western blotting. The results indicated that the expression levels of the epithelial marker E-cadherin were decreased, whereas the expression levels of the mesenchymal marker N-cadherin were increased during gastric carcinogenesis. Their expression levels were associated with H. pylori infection. Furthermore, H. pylori infection resulted in downregulation of E-cadherin expression and upregulation of N-cadherin expression in Mongolian gerbils and GES-1 cells. In addition, an investigation of the associated mechanism of action revealed that p-AKT (Ser473) and p-GSK3β (Ser9) were activated in GES-1 cells following co-culture with H. pylori. Furthermore, following pretreatment of the cells with the AKT inhibitor VIII, the expression levels of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, p-AKT and p-GSK3β did not show significant differences between GES-1 cells that were co-cultured with or without H. pylori. The levels of p-AKT and p-GSK3β were increased in H. pylori-infected Mongolian gerbils. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that H. pylori infection activated AKT and resulted in the phosphorylation and inactivation of GSK3β, which in turn promoted early stage EMT. These effects were AKT-dependent. This mechanism may serve as a prerequisite for GC development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite evidence from experimental grasslands that plant diversity increases biomass production and soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, it remains unclear whether this is true in natural ecosystems, especially under climatic variations and human disturbances. Based on field observations from 6,098 forest, shrubland, and grassland sites across China and predictions from an integrative model combining multiple theories, we systematically examined the direct effects of climate, soils, and human impacts on SOC storage versus the indirect effects mediated by species richness (SR), aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), and belowground biomass (BB). We found that favorable climates (high temperature and precipitation) had a consistent negative effect on SOC storage in forests and shrublands, but not in grasslands. Climate favorability, particularly high precipitation, was associated with both higher SR and higher BB, which had consistent positive effects on SOC storage, thus offsetting the direct negative effect of favorable climate on SOC. The indirect effects of climate on SOC storage depended on the relationships of SR with ANPP and BB, which were consistently positive in all biome types. In addition, human disturbance and soil pH had both direct and indirect effects on SOC storage, with the indirect effects mediated by changes in SR, ANPP, and BB. High soil pH had a consistently negative effect on SOC storage. Our findings have important implications for improving global carbon cycling models and ecosystem management: Maintaining high levels of diversity can enhance soil carbon sequestration and help sustain the benefits of plant diversity and productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile Service selection is an important but challenging problem in service and mobile computing. Quality of service (QoS) predication is a critical step in service selection in 5G network environments. The traditional methods, such as collaborative filtering (CF), suffer from a series of defects, such as failing to handle data sparsity. In mobile network environments, the abnormal QoS data are likely to result in inferior prediction accuracy. Unfortunately, these problems have not attracted enough attention, especially in a mixed mobile network environment with different network configurations, generations, or types. An ensemble learning method for predicting missing QoS in 5G network environments is proposed in this paper. There are two key principles: one is the newly proposed similarity computation method for identifying similar neighbors; the other is the extended ensemble learning model for discovering and filtering fake neighbors from the preliminary neighbors set. Moreover, three prediction models are also proposed, two individual models and one combination model. They are used for utilizing the user similar neighbors and servicing similar neighbors, respectively. Experimental results conducted in two real-world datasets show our approaches can produce superior prediction accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edwardsiella tarda is an important pathogenic bacterium that can replicate in macrophages. However, how the intramacrophage infection process affects the virulence of this bacterium is essentially unknown. Here, we show that E. tarda replicates and induces a caspase-1-dependent cell pyroptosis in a murine macrophage model. Via pyroptosis, intracellular E. tarda escapes to the extracellular milieu, forming a unique bacterial population. Being different from the bacteria cultured alone, this unique population possesses a reprogrammed transcriptional profile, particularly with upregulated type III secretion system (T3SS)/T6SS cluster genes. Subsequent studies revealed that the macrophage-released population gains enhanced infectivity for host epithelial cells and increases resistance to multiple host defenses and hence displays significantly promoted virulence in vivo. Further studies indicated that T3SS is essentially required for the macrophage infection process, while T6SS contributes to infection-induced bacterial virulence. Altogether, this work demonstrates that E. tarda can utilize macrophages as a niche for virulence priming and for spreading infection, suggesting a positive role for intramacrophage infection in bacterial pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a type of small noncoding RNA that can regulate the expression of target genes under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. miR-155 is a multifunctional miRNA with inflammation-related and oncogenic roles. In particular, the dysregulation of miR-155 has been strongly implicated in Helicobacter pylori-related gastric disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and colorectal cancer in addition to being involved in molecular changes of important targets and signaling pathways. This review focuses on the expression and function of miR-155 during inflammation and carcinogenesis and its potential use as an effective therapeutic target for certain gastrointestinal diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and temperature relieve the limitation of these two on terrestrial ecosystem productivity, while nutrient availability constrains the increasing plant photosynthesis more intensively. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are critical for plant physiological activities and consequently regulates ecosystem productivity. Here, for the first time, we mapped N and P densities of leaves, woody stems, roots, litter and soil in forest, shrubland and grassland ecosystems across China, based on an intensive investigation in 4175 sites, covering species composition, biomass, and nutrient concentrations of different tissues of living plants, litter and soil. Forest, shrubland and grassland ecosystems in China stored 7665.62 × 106 Mg N, with 7434.53 × 106 Mg (96.99%) fixed in soil (to a depth of one metre), and 32.39 × 106 Mg (0.42%), 59.57 × 106 Mg (0.78%), 124.21 × 106 Mg (1.62%) and 14.92 × 106 Mg (0.19%) in leaves, stems, roots and litter, respectively. The forest, shrubland and grassland ecosystems in China stored 3852.66 × 106 Mg P, with 3821.64 × 106 Mg (99.19%) fixed in soil (to a depth of one metre), and 3.36 × 106 Mg (0.09%), 14.06 × 106 Mg (0.36%), 11.47 × 106 Mg (0.30%) and 2.14 × 106 Mg (0.06%) in leaves, stems, roots and litter, respectively. Our estimation showed that N pools were low in northern China except Changbai Mountains, Mount Tianshan and Mount Alta, while relatively higher values existed in eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and Yunnan. P densities in plant organs were higher towards the south and east part of China, while soil P density was higher towards the north and west part of China. The estimated N and P density datasets, "Patterns of nitrogen and phosphorus pools in terrestrial ecosystems in China" (the pre-publication sharing link: https://datadryad.org/stash/share/78EBjhBqNoam2jOSoO1AXvbZtgIpCTi9eT-eGE7wyOk), are available from the Dryad Digital Repository (Zhang et al., 2020). These patterns of N and P densities could potentially improve existing earth system models and large-scale researches on ecosystem nutrients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Crucian carp is a popular ornamental strain in Asia with variants in body color. To further explore the genetic mechanisms underlying gray and red body color formation in crucian carp, the skin transcriptomes and partial DNA methylation sites were obtained from red crucian carp (RCC) and white crucian carp (WCC). Here, we show significant differences in mRNA expression and DNA methylation sites between skin tissues of RCC and WCC. Results: Totals of 3434 and 3683 unigenes had significantly lower and higher expression in WCC, respectively, compared with unigenes expressed in RCC. Some potential genes for body color development were further identified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, such as mitfa, tyr, tyrp1, and dct, which were down-regulated, and foxd3, hpda, ptps, and gch1, which were up-regulated. A KEGG pathway analysis indicated that the differentially expressed genes were mainly related to mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK), Wnt, cell cycle, and endocytosis signaling pathways, as well as variations in melanogenesis in crucian carp. In addition, some differentially expressed DNA methylation site genes were related to pigmentation, including mitfa, tyr, dct, foxd3, and hpda. The differentially expressed DNA methylation sites were mainly involved in signaling pathways, including MAPK, cAMP, endocytosis, melanogenesis, and Hippo. Conclusions: Our study provides the results of comparative transcriptome and DNA methylation analyses between RCC and WCC skin tissues and reveals that the molecular mechanism of body color variation in crucian carp is strongly related to disruptions in gene expression and DNA methylation during pigmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (blaNDM), a plasmid-borne carbapenemase gene associated with significant mortality and severely limited treatment options, is of global public health concern as it is found in extremely diverse Gram-negative bacterial strains. This study thus aims to genetically characterize local and global spread of blaNDM. Methods: To investigate local transmission patterns in the context of a single hospital, whole genome sequencing data of the first 11 blaNDM-positive bacteria isolated in a local hospital were analyzed to: (1) identify and compare blaNDM-positive plasmids; and (2) study the phylogenetic relationship of the bacteria chromosomes. The global analysis was conducted by analyzing 2749 complete plasmid sequences (including 39 blaNDM-positive plasmids) in the NCBI database, where: (1) the plasmids were clustered based on their gene composition similarity; (2) phylogenetic study was conducted for each blaNDM-positive plasmid cluster to infer the phylogenetic relationship within each cluster; (3) gene transposition events introducing blaNDM into different plasmid backbones were identified; and (4) clustering pattern was correlated with the plasmids' incompatibility group and geographical distribution. Results: Analysis of the first 11 blaNDM-positive isolates from a single hospital revealed very low blaNDM-positive plasmid diversity. Local transmission was characterized by clonal spread of a predominant plasmid with 2 sporadic instances of plasmid introduction. In contrast to the low diversity locally, global blaNDM spread involved marked plasmid diversity with no predominant bacterial clone. Thirty-nine (1.4 %) out of the 2749 complete plasmid sequences were blaNDM-positive, and could be resolved into 7 clusters, which were associated with plasmid incompatibility group and geographical distribution. The blaNDM gene module was witnessed to mobilize between different plasmid backbones on at least 6 independent occasions. Conclusions: Our analysis revealed the complex genetic pathways of blaNDM spread, with global dissemination characterized mainly by transposition of the blaNDM gene cassette into varied plasmids. Early local transmission following plasmid introduction is characterized by plasmid conjugation and bacterial spread. Our findings emphasize the importance of plasmid molecular epidemiology in understanding blaNDM spread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) detects hemodynamic responses in the cerebral cortex by transcranial spectroscopy. However, measurements recorded by fNIRS not only consist of the desired hemo-dynamic response but also consist of a number of physiological noises. Because of these noises, accurately detecting the regions that have an activated hemodynamic response while performing a task is a challenge when analyzing functional activity by fNIRS. In order to better detect the activation, we designed a multiscale analysis based on wavelet coherence. In this method, the experimental paradigm was expressed as a binary signal obtained while either performing or not performing a task. We convolved the signal with the canonical hemo-dynamic response function to predict a possible response. The wavelet coherence was used to investigate the relationship between the response and the data obtained by fNIRS at each channel. Subsequently, the coherence within a region of interest in the time-frequency domain was summed to evaluate the activation level at each channel. Experiments on both simulated and experimental data demonstrated that the method was effective for detecting activated channels hidden in fNIRS data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global climate change is likely to alter the phenological patterns of plants due to the controlling effects of climate on plant ontogeny, especially in an urbanized environment. We studied relationships between various phenophases (i.e., seasonal biological events) and interannual variations of air temperature in three woody plant species ( Prunus davidiana, Hibiscus syriacus, and Cercis chinensis) in the Beijing Metropolis, China, based on phenological data for the period 1962–2004 and meteorological data for the period 1951–2004. Analysis of phenology and climate data indicated significant changes in spring and autumn phenophases and temperatures. Changes in phenophases were observed for all the three species, consistent with patterns of rising air temperatures in the Beijing Metropolis. The changing phenology in the three plant species was reflected mainly as advances of the spring phenophases and delays in the autumn phenophases, but with strong variations among species and phenophases in response to different temperature indices. Most phenophases (both spring and autumn phenophases) had significant relationships with temperatures of the preceding months. There existed large inter- and intra-specific variations, however, in the responses of phenology to climate change. It is clear that the urban heat island effect from 1978 onwards is a dominant cause of the observed phenological changes. Differences in phenological responses to climate change may cause uncertain ecological consequences, with implications for ecosystem stability and function in urban environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]